Japanese Release

Anime Episode

Erza and Kagura's battle comes to a dramatic halt when Erza reveals that she knew Kagura as a child, and was the reason the Mermaid Heel Mage avoided capture during the child kidnappings in Rosemary Village. Seeing Erza as her past savior, Kagura moves to withdraw herself from the fight, but is stabbed in the back by Minerva, who appears at the last minute to get full points for Kagura's defeat.

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The crowd watching the Grand Magic Games stares on in shock as Kagura draws her sword on the grounded Erza and aims it straight at her neck. As a huge current of raw Magic Power rips right through the buildings of Crocus, the dust clears to reveal a barely injured Erza, who managed to avoid most of the blow by hastily blocking with her own sword. The Fairy Tail guild smiles on as their female knight then stands, coldly claiming that she cannot die, as, thanks to the sacrifices of both Simon and Rob, she has managed to live. Announcing that to abandon her life would be almost criminal, the bloody Erza Requips into her hakama clothing and moves to continue the fight.

This little speech does not impress Kagura though, the Mermaid Heel Mage screaming that she will kill both Erza and Jellal as she charges once more. Erza, however, surprises her by blocking all of her attacks and managing to land one of the first of her own, flipping Kagura to the ground as her guild mates watch on in surprise.

Erza recalls how she saved Kagura as a child

Just as the commentators begin to wonder if Erza has won the match, Kagura stands again, though just as she gets to her feet the concrete pillar right above her begins to collapse, raining heavy rock downwards in her direction. As the rubble smashes into the ground, Kagura realizes that she has not been hit, as in a last second reflex Erza has pushed her out of the way, but been hit by the rock herself. Questioning why Erza would go so far to protect her, Erza reveals that the two have actually met before, and states that she also grew up in Rosemary Village, the same place Kagura and Simon lived as children.

Continuing, Erza recounts how she always knew Simon had a sister, but as she never found out his sister's name she had no idea it was Kagura herself. As Kagura begins to remember meeting Erza as a child, Erza recalls how when Rosemary Village was attacked by the Zeref-following cult, Erza managed to save Kagura from capture by hiding her inside a crate, despite the heroic action getting her caught and taken to the Tower of Heaven herself. Now remembering that Erza was in fact the little girl from that night, Kagura begins to cry, and Erza states that she always hoped the Mermaid Heel Mage was safe. Moved by Erza's words, Kagura goes to help heft the rocks still weighed down upon the Fairy Tail Mage, and with this help Erza frees herself.

Minerva ambushes Kagura

Before Erza can move to say anything, Kagura goes to admit defeat in the battle, though just as she is about to finish her sentence, she is grabbed from behind by Minerva, who uses the previously dropped sword to stab her through the back. As the Mermaid Heel guild all stand shocked at the sudden appearance of the Sabertooth woman, Kagura falls to the ground, and Minerva gleefully points out that though Erza did all of the fighting the win is technically hers, awarding her guild five points and boosting them to first place. Sadistically advancing on Erza, Minerva reminds Erza of her previous statements about Kings and manipulation, as Erza, bloodied and with her legs now injured from saving Kagura, merely glares in return.